#youre destroying the integrity of the film!!!!!

[thiscatiscreepy]

Russian dub of Everything Everywhere All At Once removing almost all spoken Chinese 🤝 Russian dub of Monkey Man removing spoken Hindi.

[lemonhemlock]

the thing is i don't care about how hard it must be for the hotd writers to adapt from book to screen with budget and time limitations (even though i am historically sympathetic enough to these difficulties and i do understand the need to make changes to fit the story in a different medium)

but what i see as understandable excuses would be shoddy cgi or costumes and less impactful action scenes or even fewer action scenes/battles. which we already got anyway, the only battle (rook's rest) is humdrum and rather spiritless. to a certain extent, i can even excuse cutting out characters or merging them or simplifying storylines.

be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that, even the scenes which should have cost the least amount of money in this whole production, i.e. the sitting-around-in-rooms-talking genre of scenes for which GoT became famous, SUCK. the politics in this show are non-existent. the characters' motivations are so wishy-washy to the point of parody. the character arcs look like they were settled via a game of russian roulette. the S2 version of characters doesn't make sense as a progression of their own S1 canon.

and this has nothing to do with money OR time constraints. it plainly only has to do with bad writing. a talented writer can absolutely have a canon-divergent vision and an understandable desire to adapt their own vision. but they have to recognise if they have the TIME or the BUDGET to bring that canon-divergent vision to life, if they can sufficiently commit to integrating those changes in a way that feels organic to the characters. IF NOT, THEN DON'T DO IT.

i get it if they're big rhaenicent stans or if they really, really like this version of alicent that lives in their heards, the one that would ditch her kids in favour of rhaenyra or if they're so enamoured by the idea of heroic rhaenyra (and that's just scratching the surface when it comes to all the points the show fumbled). but if they don't and can't fit those changes in a way that doesn't destroy the logic of the narrative, in a way that doesn't leave other characters hanging dry with no motivation left to carry out the plot points they have to hit, they should have had the maturity to drop those ideas and settle on something else that could have been easier to film with the resources available.

i said it before and i'll say it again: 1) whether fans are satisfied with the changes made to the source material and 2) whether those changes make sense in the context of the show are two separate issues that apologists sometimes try to merge in other to muddle what the actual problem is. "oh you're just mad because it's not book canon" or "you're mad because your headcanons diverge" or "we had logistics limitations" are not pertinent responses to critiquing the integrity of the show's storyline!

so i hope the writers and executives see all these criticisms and choke because they did a piss-poor job of everything and turned S2 into a goddamn hack operation

[evertomorrowart]

Best of YouTube 2023

Yes, I did spend the first week and change of January on this. I wish I could have had it done for New Years, but too many people came out with incredible work in December, so waiting turned out for the best.

What these creators do are a huge influence on my life, I would honestly have difficulty doing what I do without them. That isn't to say that my favorites of the year are *only* on this image--It was almost impossible to narrow down my favorites. Many creators I wanted to include couldn't fit on a single page, and too many of them made more than one video I wished I could draw too!

But, to all of you, thank you for what you do. You're an inspiration.

For those who don't know, further is an explanation.

At the bottom center is an artistic masterpiece by Defunctland: "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History." Over the last several years, Defunctland has risen from delightfully-entertaining commentary on decommissioned theme park attractions to occasionally dropping profound statements on the creation of art itself. "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History" is worth treating like the cinematic experience it is: No second screen, you sit your ass down in front of a TV, set down the phone, and then you *watch it.* Any Disney, theme park, or independent film fan needs to pay attention to this one.

Bottom left is Caelan Conrad with their piece "Drop the T - The Deadly Consequences of Gay Respectability Politics." While I do think they've done more visually or artistically-daring pieces before, "Drop the T" is one of the most important videos released on YouTube in today's current climate of hate. We as queer folk (and our allies) need to understand how integral every identity of the queer experience has been since the start of the Civil Rights movement (and before!). While we are not identical, we *are* inseparable, and we deserve having our real history easily accessible.

TERFs and other conservative mouthpieces need not reply. Your opinions are trash. 😘

I cannot stop watching and rewatching this video by @patricia-taxxon, "On the Ethics of Boinking Animal People." It's not just a defense of furry fandom and its eccentricities, it's a thoughtful and passionate analysis of what the artform achieves that purely human representation can't. Patricia goes outside of her usual essay format to directly speak to the viewer about the elements that define furry media (the most succinct definition I've ever heard) and just how *human* an act loving animal cartoons really is.

As an artist who can draw furry characters, but never really got into erotic furry art, this video is a treasure. Why did I choose to have her drawn as a Ghibli character, hanging out with one of the tanukis from "Pom Poko?" Guess you'll have to watch, bruh.

Philosophy Tube continuously puts out videos that I would put on this list--I'm not even sure that "A Man Plagiarised my Work: Women, Money, and the Nation" is the best work she released in 2023. However, this video got many conversations going between myself and my partner, and the twist on the tail end of the video shocked us both to such a degree that I had no choice.

At the very tail end of the year, Big Joel released "Fear of Death." On his Little Joel channel, he described it as the singularly best video he's ever done, and I'm inclined to agree. However, for this illustration, I ended up repeatedly going back to a mini-series he did earlier in the year: "Three Stories at the End of the World." All three videos are deeply moving and haunting, and I was brought to tears by "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot." While it may be relatively-common knowledge that the original Gojira (Godzilla) film is horror grappling with the devastation America's rush to atomic dominance inflicted on Japan, Big Joel still manages to bring new words to the discussion. Please watch all three of the videos, but if, for some reason, you must have only one, let it be "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot."

Y'all. Let me confess something. I hate football. I hate watching it, I associate seeing it from the stadiums with some of my worst childhood experiences, I despise collegiate and professional football (as institutions that destroy bodies and offer up children at the feet of its alter as a pillar of American culture)--

I. L o a t h e. Football.

But.

F.D. Signifier could get me to watch an entire hour-plus essay on why I should at least give a passing care. AND HE DID IT. I might think "F*ck the Police," the two-parter on Black conservatism, or his essay on Black men's connection to anime might be "better" videos, but this writer did the impossible and held my limited attention span towards football long enough to make a sincere case for NFL players--and reminds us that millionaires can *in fact* be workers. That alone is testament to his skill.

Sit down and watch "The REAL Reason NFL Running Backs Aren't Getting Paid." Any good anti-capitalist owes it to themselves.

CJ the X continuously puts out stunning, emotional videos, and can do it with the most seemingly-inconsequential starting points. A 30 second song? An incestuous commercial? Five minutes of Tangled? Sure, why not. Go destroy yourself emotionally by watching them. I'm serious. Do it.

Their video Stranger Things and the Meaning of Life manages to to remind us all why the way we react to media does, in fact, matter. Yes, even nostalgia-driven, mass-media schlock. Yes, how we interact with media matters, what it says about us matters, and we all deserve to seek out the whys.

Folding Ideas has spent the last few years articulating exactly why so much of our modern world feels broken, and because of that his voice continuously lives rent-free in my brain. While the tricks that scam artists and grifters use to try to swindle us are never new, the advancement of technology changes the aesthetics of their performances. Portions of Folding Ideas' explanations might seem dry when going into detail of how stocks work in This is Financial Advice, but every bit of it is necessary to peel back the layers of techno-babble and jargon and make sense of the results of "Meme Stocks."

Jessie Gender puts out nothing but bangers, her absolute unit of a video about Star Wars might be my new favorite thing ever, but none of her work hit so profoundly in 2023 than the two-parter "The Myth of 'Male Socialization'" and "The Trauma of Masculinity." There's so much about modern life that isolates and traumatizes us, and so much of it is just shrugged off as "normal." We owe it to ourselves to see the world in more vivid a color palette than we're initially given.

Panels drawn after Kate Beaton and "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands."

"This is Not a Video Essay" is one of the most intense and beautiful pieces of art I've ever put into my eyeballs. Why do we create? What drives us to connect?

I don't even know what else to say about the Leftist Cooks' work, it repeatedly transcends the medium and platform. Watch every single one of their videos, but especially this one.

The likelihood you are terminally online and yet haven't heard of Hbomberguy's yearly forrays into destroying the careers of awful people is pretty slim. Just because it has millions of views doesn't mean that Hbomberguy's "Plagiarism and You(Tube)" isn't worth the hype. Too long? Shut up, it has chapters and YouTube holds your place, anyway. You think a deep dive into a handful of creators is only meaningless drama? Well, you're wrong, you wrong-opinion-haver. Plagiarism is an *everyone* problem because of the actual harm it creates--the history it erases, the labor it devalues, the art it marginalizes--which you would know if you watched "Plagiarism and You(Tube)".

Watch. The damn. Video.

In fact, watch all of them!

Thanks for reading this if you did.

[writingwithfolklore]

Stripping away Supports

                In classic outlining structure, the midpoint is where your MC loses all the advantages they’d relied on up until that point—allies, resources, powers, etc. In fact, this structure is used in so many films that the ‘characters fight at the midpoint’ is an easily found cliché throughout media.

                However, there are other ways of stripping away your MC’s supports to achieve the same effect.

They fight

Okay I know I just implied we might want to avoid this, but why fix what’s not broke? The important part about following the ‘characters fight at the midpoint’ trope is to ensure the fight doesn’t start at the midpoint, but rather starts from the very moment the characters are seen with each other/meet. The fight should be about something that’s been brewing underneath all of their interactions from the beginning—the one thing they should’ve talked about but didn’t. The ‘elephant in the room’.

                This fight is less of a fight but an unearthing of feelings, thoughts, and problems that have always been there, but have been ignored or avoided up until then. What’s the event that unearths these truths? Typically, something threatening or scary causes people to speak ‘out of turn’…

2. The protagonist chooses to go on alone

Something big happened, something so dangerous and scary that the protagonist intentionally pushes away their allies in order to protect them… Of course, later they might realize that they are stronger together anyway. This is also a bit of a cliché, but done thoughtfully can be very impactful.

3. The allies are in over their head

The reversal of the last trope, instead of the protagonist pushing their allies away, the allies decide this quest is far too dangerous and risky for them… The protagonist is abandoned by their allies. Later, these supports may return, their love for the protagonist stronger than their fear of the situation, but whatever happened must have spooked them bad enough to lead them to betrayal.

4. An integral piece they’ve been relying on has been destroyed

The hideout was found and torched, the old man’s journal was tossed into the sea, the leader/mentor/keeper of information has been kidnapped or killed. Maybe the allies and the protagonist are still together, but one important thing that’s been keeping them together or leading them has been lost, now they have to adapt and improvise on the fly if they wish to continue their quest.

5. An integral piece they’ve been relying on turned out to not be true or important

Similar to the last but with a bit of a twist. They’ve been following the wrong lead all along—where to go next now that the very foundation of their quest is crumbling beneath them?

          

What are some other ways of fulfilling the midpoint reversal?

[thrutheriff-if]

Thru the Riff is an 18+ interactive fiction revolving around music and the paranormal. It follows you, a journalist working for Star-Dust Magazine, in your newest gig of “interviewing” the members of the “hottest rock band” around, MANHUNT. You’ll work to uncover the bands secrets in your own… creative ways, and find out the truths as to why their stardom is surrounded by scandal.

Content Warnings: violence, foul language, suggestive themes, substance abuse, possession and other paranormal related themes, and more.

You’ve spent the past three years of your life trying to climb the corporate ladder at Star-Dust Magazine, a magazine focusing on the secrets and personal lives of the biggest bands and musicians of your time. You were hired as a journalist alongside your best friend, and have worked on countless jobs and interviews together, most of them being your best work despite your bosses trepidation.

However, your most recent jobs have seemingly all ended as busts, your boss describing them as “fluff pieces” rather than the raw, true pieces that she wants. She’s given you an ultimatum: give her something truly fitting for Star-Dust, or she’ll refer you to a different career path.

Seemingly at rock bottom, you’re given a golden opportunity — MANHUNT, one of the biggest rock bands around, has gone viral for a scandal revolving around one of the members volatile departure from the band. It’s the perfect opportunity to use the bands mystery to your advantage.

The bad news? MANHUNT has never accepted written or filmed interviews that they can’t control, and they’ve refused countless interview invitations from Star-Dust in the past. The good news? Now with their rhythm guitarist very publicly leaving the band, they have to open auditions to replace her.

If only things could be as simple as they seem.

Customize your main characters gender, pronouns, physical appearance, personality and views. As well as choose their skill and interest in music, and their belief in the occult. Do they like the kind of music MANHUNT creates? Can they play any instruments themselves? Do they believe in any sort of occult or spiritual beings? How do those questions tie together? Only one way to find out.

Audition to join the band! MANHUNT needs a new rhythm guitarist, and you see this as the perfect opportunity to get an insider look on the band. Will you be genuine or secretive with your audition? Meet your future bandmates and impress or disappoint them.

Choose from four romance options; MANHUNT’s distant lead singer who has more secrets than they let on, MANHUNT’s drummer who has integrated you into the band without complaint, your guitar tech who has taken a special interest in you, or your best friend who has tagged along for the job.

Develop friendships with the rest of the band and help or destroy MANHUNT’s public image.

Oh, and don’t forget to write your piece for Star-Dust, your job literally depends on it. Find out as much as you can. Find out too much. Don’t get hurt.

Maxim / Maxine “Max” Hawke (RO, gender selectable) — The rather broody lead singer of MANHUNT. Max is the perfect fit for a rockstar, broody in their personal life but an all-out force of energy on stage, wooing crowds of thousands (and mortifying their parents) without issue. As personable as they appear to be on stage, they seem like they want nothing to do with you. It’ll be difficult getting close to them, especially with how odd they seem to be acting offstage.

Roman / Romona Woods (RO, gender selectable) — MANHUNT’s drummer who has a roguish appearance with a heart of gold. They may not look like the most approachable of people, but they’ll surprise you with their boundless energy and bubbly social skills. They’re the most accepting of your arrival to the band so far and are genuinely excited to get to know you.

Beck Moreau (RO, they/them) — Your own personal guitar tech! Well, not technically yours as they used to be Willa’s tech before she left but, regardless they’re tagging along to MANHUNT’s shows and maintaining your equipment for you. They’re loud and can be pretty irritating, and they seem to have a special interest in pushing your buttons. Can you handle the headache they give you?

Gabriel / Gabrielle Moretti (RO, gender selectable) — Your quiet, kind hearted best friend from your childhood. The two of you have been thick as thieves since you were young, and somehow you found yourselves tackling the same career path in adulthood. They’re kind and have been there for you throughout your struggles working for Star-Dust. They decided to come along with you on your newest job to “keep you safe” but, is that really… it?

… and be prepared to meet the rest of the band!

Finn Kellett (he/him), MANHUNT’s perpetually tired manager, Nex Warren (he/they), MANHUNT’s apathetic bassist who couldn’t care less about your arrival, Juliet Beckford (she/her), MANHUNT’s energetic lead guitarist who has a special interest in the unknown, and Willa Perez (she/her), MANHUNT’s rhythm guitarist before you came along, of whom you know very little about.

Author’s Note: Thru the Riff is a passion project of mine (Wil) and Elliot’s, so development will be entirely based on our free time and understanding of how to create our first interactive fiction. We hope you’ll enjoy what we create!

[frumfrumfroo]

I was reading some old Reylo posts and came across a user on here saying that even if Rian Johnson had directed TROS, it still would've been bad, because of interference from higher ups (Rey Skywalker was a consistent theme across the two scripts - but imo, I think that might've just been because they were collectively mad she wasn't a Skywalker lol).

If this isn't an annoying and tiresome question, what do you think? It's hard to speculate but I do find it a bit fun, because there's always been that 'what if' for me that if Rian had done it, maybe it wouldn't have been awful... I guess the implication here is that, was TROS always going to be bad?

I'm ruminating on it a bit because it seems like Disney has kind of segmented the SW fanbases across their shows - Prequel stuff, worldbuilding stuff, OT stuff, and now the romance/Force storyline stuff. All of these combined elements is what made SW so potent, what made something like Reylo so powerful, but it's what makes it a hard brand to sell.

What we heard was that Kennedy asked Rian to do it, but he said he needed more time to write the script and Iger/DLF was unwilling to move the release date. I'm not sure how verified that ever was, but it's the most depressing fucking thing imaginable if true. The same short-term only, immediate profit and your quarterly bonus over the integrity of the company and the franchise which has been destroying Disney as a studio over the last decade or so.

I do think the most blame for tros must ultimately rest with Iger, but it's not like that absolves JJerio from responsibility for how bad it actually is.

I have answered this exact question before, and speculated on related stuff a few times, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find that post for you.

To me, if we learnt anything from DotF being a thing, it's that there was never anyone at the wheel, plotgate was totally true, and the directors were allowed to do whatever they wanted. If Rian had been making the third film from the start, I don't think they would have tried to impose any major story beats on him. The reason it became such a shitshow was The Book of Henry came out and they realised Colin's script was totally unacceptable way too late.

And once the can of meddling was open and you're back to JJ 'no thoughts, head empty' Abrams as a workman director, the suits were basically writing epIX with Terrio's incest fever dreams as connective tissue. They kept elements from Colin's version because they were trying to save time and use as much of the work which had already been done as possible. There was no commitment to any of those ideas, it's just incompetence and with no direction or ideas of their own, they were making a reddit checklist to try to please the whiners rather than writing any actual story.

Like, none of this would have happened if Rian were involved, because Rian would have written an actual story.

SW is mythology and very few people working at DLF seem to have ever understood that or have any idea what it means. Disney has segmented it because that's what they know, they want to have different product to sell to different demographics to maximise saturation and profit. That's their business model. They don't understand the foundation, the Saga itself, and its universal appeal, they seem content to let that stay dead and focus on compartmentalising and pandering to smaller, separate audiences.

[castielstwigandberries]

if the supernatural movie doesnt include a reference to

nevada and georgia turning blue, stop the count, destiel making putin resign, sherlock season 5 rumors, destiel news meme, which political person had to be briefed on what destiel is now?, jensen looks like he was holding back homophobic slurs, weird cuts in the confession scene, which way was dean thrown now?, bury your gays speedrun, gay angels get send to superhell/eeby-deeby/cas plinko, recognizing the confession scene only by the first letters of each word, 'homosexual declaration of love', The Tapes™ (Release them now jensen!!!), meta analysis after 15x18, 'i gripped you tight and raised you from perdition' callback as dean saves cas from the empty, why lamp?, onion field, pizza man montage, parallels be paralleling, dean screaming cas name so loud in one take that people heard it blocks away, dean offering to kill sam if it means chuck brings cas back, the 4 year old son of lucifer becoming god, chuck won theory, 'we explore the nature of destiel in act two', excitement for a long finale which could only be about dean saving cas, right?, the insanity inducing quotes of the day for episodes, 'the night we met' and 'angel with a shotgun' songs of the day on set, filming in a barn, worst finale ever (even worse than game of thrones), weirly short with 11 scenes cut, two thirds montages, carry on wayward son playinf twice, back to back, one a weird cover version, vampmimes, no cas in the finale but instead some random vampire from season one no one remembers, dean finally gets nailed from behind, dean dies from tetanus, party city wig, good cars go to heaven, Car/Cas and Biden/Bi!Dean/Bye!Dean, 'cas helped', blurry wife, misha and jensen are not in the thank you video, everyone was supposed to be at the roadhouse originally but no one was informed of those plans, walker backdoor pilot, covid/capitalism destroyed everything, misha was in vancouver for filming the last episodes and was in less episodes than he was contracted for, misha denies ever having been in vancouver, misha says originally he was supposed to be in the finale as jimmy, misha says cas was supposed to be in the finale and 'sidle up to dean in the roadhouse', heterosexual destiel whose kisses would have created entire universes, destiel reciprocated in spanish, rogue translator, #TheySilencedYou, Jensen Ackles sexy silence, jensen ackles longcon, deanbenny breakup in season 8 script leak, Heller Obama, fake italian dub, misha collins x bill clinton sex scandal, misha addressing the "scandal" and tagging bill clinton and monica lewinski, 'still beautiful, still dean winchester', mishapocalypse 2.0 and 3.0, 'eyes like the sky' beer from jensens brewery rumored to be misha description, cockles anniversay photo, chaos machine jensen ackles' production company, 'rainbow road' beer close to deans birthday, blue green ('destiel') shotglasses from jensen brewery, ash and ellen's actors roleplaying roadhouse reopening in twitter, people think they are planning destiel wedding, disappointment when thats not the case, fans celebrate Destiel Wedding anyway on Valentine's Day 2021, fallout with both actors after one said a 'queer interpretation would damage the integrity of the show',

*takes a deep breath*

jared calling cas junkless and comparing his love for dean to the love he has for his children, misha collins cameo including 'still beautiful, still dean winchester', saileen and midam wedding, spn prequel announcement and subsequent j2 fallout, '@/robbiethompson et tu brute wow. what a trully awful thing you've done #bravo you coward', the prequel being about the least favourite characters of supernatural and a love story disproved by canon, 100000 destiel fics on ao3, misha tweets about that, rumors if mishas secret ao3 account, real italian dub going 'you're kinda okay' instead of i love you, misha tweeting a video of him saying 'te amo' in response to that', jensen saying if there'd been more time he (he meant dean but he used first person pronouns) would have hugged cas and said 'i love you too', first anniversary, misha collins coming out as bisexual on accident and then saying he 'happens to be straight' three days later in a five post apology thread, hot sauce from adam/micheal actor advertised by him playing midam, casbaiting in the winchesters trailer, jarlos shipping by winchester main actors, dean with beard and turtleneck, jensen saying he wanted misha in the winchesters but it didnt work out because of scheduling conflicts but hed be there in a season two shortly before the show was cancelled, death of the rogue translator and destiel getting dragged to the trending page every time there is news

*panting* then i dont want it.

yes this is all i could remember without looking it up

[hop-a-lot]

Just want to let you know (and maybe you know its me bc i always reblog your art or like it) that your bidwell and saxton changed my course of life *screaming fighting to take mic from stage hands* and its my fanfic au bedtime-story replay-in-head so much so that in my jogs from morning to hobbies at home I think of absolutely bidwell getting demolished emotionally or physically. His hole could be de atomized by saxton and re arranged his brain cells to be another au personality for god know whatever dice roll a man of flaws contains- but I will think of him almost without fail in your art style if fic or mental or trying to remember the og comics. I see them and im like ugh hell yeah.

If youve ever posted bidwell in a pose ive probably cinemagraphed already the trilogy for a bed time story. 🥲❤️The human lion of a man(hale) with ferocity of dominating the situation or endangered animal but inner integrity decency to not punch a little girl getting romantic with a man (biddy) detaining audience with the excitement of colgate toothpaste and sterilism of a white glove after a forensics crime scene taking up affection as his husband has my trope heart bang on pots and pans on the kitchen floor. Literally reborn with them. A delicacy Im never going to write so!! I mentally pass away lol!

I keep going back and forth on this ask after it dropped in my inbox bc this deserve a proper reply however here just me being delulu over these two lol, but this truly made my day.

Bidwell is like, an utter thrill-seeker although he might put a deadpan face but he knew he never get bored if he works with Saxton, lore-wise speaking he can just stand nearby a brawl between a muscle man and a yeti while holding his video camera filming his boss, since Bid can't bring himself to destroy all of Saxton's works after listening his (crime) confession when they supposed to return to the company hq during the robot assault. Then Bidwell came up an idea of an announcement film, for one he can *partially* solve the problem by sending it to Miss P and mercs, for two, at least he pampered Saxton and have yeti steak dinner with him (and if that's not gaylove then idk..)

[vaugarde]

Wait whats your opinion on Pokemon the First Movie and its remake Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution

LOVE the first movie, hate the remake lol. I know people get on it for being a little basic or whatever but idc, it's a really fun time and it's what got me so attached to the mew duo. i think it's by far the most charming pokemon movie because despite what ppl say considering the "entitlement" from the "the first movie" title, it really feels like they put in a lot of effort to make this movie feel like a huge deal. the cinematography (mewtwo in the lab and when its directing the storm) are genuinely really cool and the battles are stunning. it all comes together really well and you also see this in the show itself since they were hyping it up, which isn't something the show ever really tried doing again. It makes the movie feel big and important. Mewtwo's conflict is great and Mew itself is adorable and AUGH it's a great movie and idc what people say.

I despise that remake though. At first I just kinda didn't care for it, but as time goes on I'm actually more insulted at its existence. Instead of a new movie we gotta do nostalgia bait with a movie that's trying to be a remake but bastardizes the presentation so much. I actually can't believe people were making twitter comparisons on "how far technology has come" by comparing the shot for shot remakes, the new film looks hideous when it copies the original directly thanks to the awful character models that don't match the realistic backgrounds, and when it tries to do its own thing, it completely fails to understand what made the original scenes so impactful.

The scenes I mentioned with Mewtwo directing the storm and destroying the lab are such good examples. I can't really find isolated clips unfortunately so bear with me. In the original lab scene, there's a sense of claustrophobia. The scientists stand over Mewtwo in the shot, their faces in darkness as they explain Mewtwo's supposed purpose. In fact, its all dark, its hard to make out the surroundings all the way. There are tubes and lab equipment everywhere surrounding Mewtwo. We get a ton of close up shots where Mewtwo is cramped in the shot- it's kinda basic but it's effective- Mewtwo has just been born but it's essentially a prisoner and it's suffocated by the expectations and purpose forced onto it by Dr. Fuji and his team. When Mewtwo then breaks out, the shot has zoomed out, but he's still surrounded by smoke and such when Giovanni arrives- he's still trapped. Like, there's a point to it all. There's intent in these shots.

In the remake tho we can't have poor lighting because how will we show off our REALISTIC BACKGROUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!1! so they removed all the clutter and the lab is all bright so we can see the (ugly) human models bc ohhhhhhhhh technology has come soooo far we swear. so now the claustrophobia so integral to the original scene is gone. I guess you could say the bright light is disorienting for mewtwo??? but it completely fails to match the tone of the original.

There's no reason to watch the new one imo. It's just an inferior version to the original movie to the point it honestly feels insulting to me. It's such a blatant cash grab and idk how ppl dont see that.

[humming-pokemon-helpers]

[It's a video! A very chaotic one. There seem to be several battles raging at once, and it's hard to pick out what action's directed where, especially among the sounds of roars and growls, snapping branches, blasts of energy, clashes of blades, and a crackling fire a little too close for comfort. After a few moments of swiveling around, there's Cross's timid, electric voice.

"i-i thought this would be the simplest way to show what's going on, pzzt. s-so, i'm just going to... go around... a-and not get hit with a dragon pulse... please..."

In the center of the frame, there's Reshiram, trying to attack a certain frog boy as he scrambles to put out fires, a large, squishy Solosis behind him assisting by shaking out a Rain Dance. It's mostly evaporated by the dragon's superheated tail and flames, though. As Terrakion and Cobalion search for an opening, they dance between each other, sharpening their swords, before Cobalion launches in for a Close Combat. The dragon swivels to the attack quickly, countering with a close-range Fusion Flare that leaves the legendary staggering away from the fight. That leaves one Sword standing in the battle, as Wolfgang attempts to duplicate Terrakion's figure while glancing constantly to Vanilla and Amadeus's location.

Turning swiftly instead to the two foxpeople off to the side, Cross gets close enough to catch the dialogue between the two of them as the two disappear and reappear in a mad attempt to be the first to land a blow, Vision with Dark Pulse and Vanilla with her blade's Night Slash.

"If you really wanted to win, you should've gone back to your own world! You already ruined that one, didn't you?! Why not make Colress try his stupid experiment there, if you're so in control?"

"As a leader, I trust my advisors. And Colress said that testing power like this requires an actual fight, not just crushing the world under out feet. Not that you're much competition..."

Following her opponent's voice, Vision launches a Dark Pulse that glances off Vanilla's shoulder. His illusion fades momentarily.

"Nngh. If you want to change the world, change yours! Who cares about tests?! Isn't what you wanted to win?! What point does it have to destroy Lostlorn? To destroy our pack's home all over again?!"

The words take Vision aback, and as she reaches to touch the red-white fur collar on her robes, Vanilla connects with a Night Slash to her arm, cutting loose some fabric.

"Lostlorn... That's not... That's not a problem! We'll finish this test and change my world while we're at it, too! This is just our warm-up! But I guess I ought to set my advisor in line..."

As the two continue fighting, Vision more clearly distracted, Cross finally zips to Colress's location. He's rapidly losing ground as his team pushes back against Chiru, Ringogo, and Dolly of Vanilla's team, especially with Dolly knocking aside Colress's Magnezone with a single Hammer Arm. Still, he keeps his Beheeyem close to him, as if surely Teleport will start working any minute now. And that small Zoroark's illusions will wear off any minute, freeing up his Necrozma. Not that he could attack actively anyways--that would ruin the experiment! No, he's just here to protect his experiment's integrity. Though he tries not to appear nervous, it's quite clear from the way his one functioning arm fidgets that he's on the lookout for a certain somebody about to take him down.

Finally, Cross recenters on the Reshiram, who appears to be turning in response to some inaudible shouted direction of Vision's.

"u-um... i can't film the evacuation, but that's going well too!! a-and there's some strong water types fighting the flames... ...y-yeah!"]

[tenebrius-excellium]

I'm a bystander in all this, but I do wonder why you have such trouble believing that hiccups isn't some naive pacifist when in the very first film he chooses to kill the red death instead of trying to tame it? Or at least try and understand it? Like for the pacifist you think he is, that would be the very, very last option even when his loved ones are in danger, for any pacifist that would be the last step the one he didn't want to do (which he obviously did as every show/film after that shows hiccup feeling no remorse or disgust over it). And for hiccup letting his enemies walk all over him, that's most likely a self-preservation thing? For all the years of abuse and neglect he's been through, just because he's letting that happen doesn't mean he's not still thinking of ways to destroy them It's just to keep himself safe? This isn't hate or anything towards you, I like your blog, but I just think it's really part of the phenomenon that's so prevalent in fandom spaces nowadays that fanon/someone's hcs get so big they often get mistaken for canon and not a lot of people are engaging with the actual story in any way after a while, or they skim it so they don't get the depth of what's actually the truth. Again no hate obviously but I guess It's difficult for people like me to see takes like 'Hiccup is a pacifist' when everything else tells us otherwise or tells us he won't feel bad using violence and death to get what he wants or to get results when we know a real pacifist is usually a centrist and hiccup is very much not that

Heya! Hoo boy there are some misunderstandings making the rounds now oops.

My original take on this was: Og Hiccup, which means Httyd1 Hiccup, and Httyd1 Hiccup ONLY, is NOT a pacifist. Og Hiccup knows exactly what's at stake and acts accordingly. Og Hiccup is careful to extend his trust, as are the dragons he comes into contact with. And og Hiccup gives his love fully and lavishly when his trust is rewarded while simultaneously not hesitating to take out the Red Death because that dragon is clearly the source of all the pain that Berk and the other dragons have been through.

To me, every other Hiccup, especially RttE and Httyd2 Hiccup, is a pacifist. @/howtodrawyourdragon correctly opened my eyes to the fact that Rob/Dob Hiccup might not have been a pacifist after all, because that's when Berk was still characterized as tough and violent and everyone was still cooling off from the whole 'killing dragons' mindset. Enemies were also not 'misunderstood friends' yet. Like. The first enemies young Hiccup encountered were literal Outcasts. I don't remember if it was ever actually explained if the Outcasts are merely a tribe like the Berserkers, but the term Outcasts alone gave me a kind of impression that made the Berkians correct in treading with caution around them. Like. Outcasts are typically people who have failed to be integrated into society, so they have been banned to Outcast Island, no? Idk, anyway, it was full of evil-meaning thugs. There may have been a reason for Hiccup to stay vigilant.

What surprises me, through and through, to this day, is that Httyd2 Hiccup was written to be such a well-meaning pacifist. Like. Httyd1 Hiccup wasn't like that, why suddenly go there? It's like the director fumbled an arc out of his sleeve that Hiccup had to "go through" for growth, only... to me, Hiccup never needed that particular lesson. "A Chief protects his own", please, what else was the fight against the Red Death? The fights against Alvin? Hiccup had been doing that already. It was a fictional lesson to create plot for Httyd2.

Hiccup went soft in Httyd2. Artificially soft. Pacifist soft.

THAT is what I was aiming to analyze. I should have specified more.

RttE Hiccup fluctuates, but I don't want to open that can anymore.

I do not think og Hiccup is a pacifist. I think Httyd2 Hiccup was unnecessarily written as one. THAT is what surprised me. To write Hiccup as a peace-loving animal activist with a flower crown who can't understand, even after repeated warnings, how Drago might not share his starry-eyed opinion. When he had been fighting his own father on his stubbornness for at least a whole summer back in the first movie. Hiccup is not that blind, or dumb. Especially at age 20.

So I agree that the fandom milked Hiccup a bit too much for his supposed pacifism, but it's clearly a canon post-Httyd2 issue as well. Since RttE came out AFTER the second movie, the RttE writers had to somehow match Hiccup's character with what would lead up to his decisions in the second movie. That, to me, is why RttE is a bit sketchy in this regard.

It's all in good faith here, thank you for taking the time to send such a lengthy ask. You made very good points, especially considering the fact that Hiccup was an underdog who had to learn how to stand up for himself first (the 'keep head down out of self-preservation' thing). This is very true and might have made a better arc for Httyd2 imo. Telling Hiccup "babe, wake up, you're not being bullied anymore, you have actual influence now and people want you as Chief. You just gotta find the confidence to believe in yourself." Yeah.

Does that clarify things a little bit?

Cheers

Reddie

[thatweirdfandom]

i think something i’ve noticed post lockdown is how hard it is for artists to just be artists. don’t get me wrong theres been a massive influx of art and content because resources are easier to access at a younger age and we have a wider area of social media to look through.

my issues comes when people start a chain of witch hunt or have the wrong idea about art and methods of making it.

i’ve seen people start witch hunts over someone using a same pose as them, someone using the same color pallet as them, heck even someone having a similar monster/creature design (to clairfy i’m talking about closed races)

i get it, the anxiety of integrity, the thought of being the one that was “first” to make something, that you are owed the right to feeling like you have created something no one else has. we are told that we will suffer if we choose to create.

the hard pill to swallow:

nothing you ever do will be something that hasn’t been done before. we are limited by what we consume, what we know, what we see and what we have around us. AND THAT IS OK. creating is a act of expression it should be a wonderful experience it should be for yourself and if you share that then thank you, because someone will see it and love it dearly

art is to be referenced, to be torn apart and put together again, to be studied to be learned.

i’m just, i’m really tired of putting the thought of “you stole xyz, your style stealing, you are plagiarizing me” i don’t care if you are 40 years old nor if you are 16. it effects all of us, and it makes people just not want to make art, to not share their art. and with that to not grow with their art.

yeah at some point you might not need a million references for a idea, or even maybe you have physical limitations to things.

i know animators and storyboarders that still make mood boards and references shots from films to just make a single animatic. i know one that does this because they have physical limitations and still want to create so they have a plan of references from 12 movies and “scrapbook” a story together then make it their own.

i know illustrators that have art galleries for their work that trace a picture of their body because it’s just faster sometimes to get the base down then spend the next 48 hours painting

i know designers that color drop pallets from anything they can find.

these are resources, this is being resourceful. you are growing your own creative journey you are allowed to do this, and you shouldn’t be shamed for it.

tdlr:

you do not own a pose, a pallet of colors, a style of art, what you do OWN is your own art, your own creativity and process that ends you up there. Sometimes someone has the same idea, sometimes someone already made that idea, this dates back centuries, not just the last few years. If someone isn’t claiming to own a piece of work that is yours, that they altered a piece slightly that they use AI i don’t want to hear it. We as creatives should be uplifting, and encouraging the progress and growth.

We all start and end somewhere and sometimes we end up on the line between. To create is to destroy, to bring life, to change, to find new paths and rebuild.

[canyouhearthevoices]

BOUNCY MV First Reactions

COWBOY COMEBACK!

Thank you KQ for releasing this in the middle of my work day... :/

I have to say, I love that they used a different aspect ratio for the MV - it’s another example of ATEEZ’s unique use of the screen itself (another one being when the robot arms come out of the video in WONDERLAND).

I’m in love with the MV. For starters, Gothic pirate cowboys. And then we have blue-hair Hongjoong making a return. And then we have the funky vibes of the song itself. And, of course, epic ATEEZ choreo. And then there’s the use of film grain, and the increased budget they have, and how they integrate elements from previous MVs (like they always do), and in general, each comeback reminds me of why I ult ATEEZ. This is the kind of stuff I’m into. 

And I hope you’re into it too, if you’re on this blog. 

Oh by the way? You know how ATEEZ were talking about bringing anarchy onto the world in HALAZIA and Guerrilla? Well, now they’ve literally brought anarchy onto the world through one of the world’s (hah) best-known representations of anarchy - the American Wild West. Whoever made this choice is a genius because it’s amazing shorthand for the anarchy and passion they’ve actually created, and brings an expressive world for them to put their music out into. 

Also - fire. Ahem, the fire Hongjoong destroys things with? Don’t forget that Don’t Stop was one of our first teasers of THE WORLD. 

Now, I will say that I don’t condone (and hopefully ATEEZ don’t either) the dangerous and/or illegal activities in this MV (no-rules boxing, driving motorbikes without a helmet, murder, owning illegal weapons, drug dealing). That said, they did make me laugh a lot in this MV. Idols are supposed to have a perfect image and ATEEZ are happily breaking the law everyday. And I found some specific moments oddly quirky and funny which I will dsicuss later. 

But let’s talk about the MV. Full discussion below the line.

Lyrics

Well, they’re what I’d expect from a cowboy ATEEZ comeback. They have the common motifs of bouncing/dancing, playing music, being the coolest, and so on. They also include the mandatory ATEEZ references to burning up, exploding, and so on. And they include the mandatory THE WORLD references to raising your microphone and making your own voice and music in the face of... well, a world that prohibits those things.

But that’s, as I said, to be expected of ATEEZ. Let’s talk about the actual MV.

MV Analysis

So it starts the same way the opening sequence did, but in snapshots - since they know that we’ve already seen it. I do think it’s interesting that they cut out the Wanted posters, since they have been a pretty integral motif for the past few years. 

I’d just like to say that this is the perfect shot to open this MV on. It’s got the warm colours, gritty tone, and fire that are important to this era (THE WORLD), and seen in ATEEZ mvs in general (FEVER). It’s got the fire - another important motif, it establishes the setting which I’ve already mentioned is a representation of anarchy, and thus establishes the tone of the song and comeback. But it also has an interesting camera angle - one which places the audience in a position inferior to ATEEZ, but ATEEZ inferior to the remnants of the government/other institution that has power in this world. 

It’s also a very pretty set, which is always a bonus. 

This is a great followup shot since it again shows how powerful Mingi is - although we don’t know it’s Mingi yet. It also shows that this world isn’t quite as gritty and old-fashioned as we thought - there are electric lights and the floor is actually relatively clean. 

Nice context for the actual face reveal, and, since it plays into Western tropes, it gives us a hint of what will come - a face reveal, dramatics, and a shootout.

I am a massive fan of black wing eyeliner Mingi.

Crazy Hongjoong is back.

Ahh yes goats - the symbol of the Wild West.

Not entirely sure what the red lines are supposed to mean here - other than ATEEZ and lights being big, and red and HALATEEZ.

Ahh yes, best set is the drug-dealing den disguised as a reputable establishment. This also further shows that the Wild West setting of the story doesn’t apply to everything - for instance, it is quite different (yet also surprisingly similar) to this underworld cyberpunk city.

SAAAAAAAAN. And here is our third setting - the boxing arena. All of these settings have the motif of anarchy and conflict, but the Wild West, grungy neon city, and boxing arena do so in different ways - guns, crime, and punches. 

I love the grainy effect here - another visual symbol of ‘the old days’which are seen as being more like anarchy, and, in lots of cases, like a better time. 

I also love how this MV practically made Woosan canon. 

This is definitely the heist Wooyoung from Don’t Stop.

CG motorbiking ATEEZ do not condone riding your motorbike without helmets. Protect your brain - it’s important.

Turbulence tunnel?

Love how he’s doing nothing and is far back but is still subtly checking on San. 

Dude wants his money and a husband.

Very convincing police disguises...

This shot is great because it is way easier to notice the steampunk aspect of the bar and the world. 

JOOOOOOOONG AND HIS SHIPPPPPP.

Mandatory pirate reference.

10/10 choreo - groovy and slightly threatening, but also relates to the story since they cut the chillis in half to reveal the bullets they’re hiding. I f eel like it wouldn’t be a very good way to store bullets but good on them - whatever works to take down the 1984 government.

A fascinating shot and scene - the ornate architecture paints them as gods of some description, while the red is of course, scary, and the glass it’s encliosed in reminds us of the cube in Say My Name. The chandelier is also a motif in their MVs. 

There’s also the contrast of blue and red, and of the grunge of the motorbikes and ornate room around them.

I hope they have a bigger chilli farm than just this one box, because this one ain’t gonna produce a lot.

Yes try to kill Mingi - I’m sure it’ll work out for you.

CHILLLLLLLI.

Moral of the story - Mingi’s on drugs. Maybe this whole MV and era - or even all of ATEEZ’s storyline from the start - was just Mingi on drugs. 

I love the choreo and cinematography of this scene - it’s another example of ATEEZ’s unique use of the camera and alternating jerky and still camera angles. And, of course, it’s used to tell a story and to create hype. 

CG Seonghwa says you should keep your hands on the wheel/handlebars when driving. 

Where to KQ get these extras? They’re great!

This is when I started laughing. It was the canon Woosan, how the water just dribbled out of San’s mouth, how dramatic they were being in an MV, and how serious they seemed when I know the director said çut’and someone rushed over to put more blood on San.

Unsubtle storytelling is here. 

Clearly the only reason San was losing was because he was boxing, not using his martial arts skills. 

I love the freeze frame when he kicks his opponent for emphasis. 

Lmao. Literally smoking the money. Wooyoung has great facial expressions. 

Great combination of lyrics and video to tell a story and to subvert my expectations of what the lyrics would mean (I was thinking of WONDERLAND’s start of a race).

This was another shot that made me laugh. It was the funky camera angles, the weird dance moves, them all being in a line, and how serious Hongjoong was while doing it all. 

My respect for him and his performance grows every day. 

I mean the choreo is pretty snazzy, it just shouldn’t be painted in such a serious light, I think. 

Literal canon Woosan literally being on top of the boxing world. 

ATEEZ the gods of the chilli pepper. 

On a more serious note - the shift to white is a bit unusual, but it leads us into the final verse and to the reveal that comes later.

OMG NOW WE KNOW WHY THEY’VE BEEN DRUG DEALING CHILLIS. 

haha

Hello High Noon Jhin from League of Legends.

Okay, bruv.

Why would you destroy your chilli crop?

Okay, it’s probably a different scene, but still.

That is one nasty bullet. That won’t do any more damage than a regular bullet unless it explodes on impact.

Please imagine that I gasped so hard that I fell off my chair, my jaw detatched, my soul left my body and I revived and became a god. 

My question then is - did this bullet actually kill the Guardian? Was that why it was weird? Is it possible to kill the Guardians?

And by the way this is the ‘white’reveal that I was talking about. Believe it or not - the white earlier probably made it easier for the audience to process this split-second reveal. 

I love the transition from fire to fireworks to champagne/water/whatever it is - it helps the audience understand, makes sense in the given scenes, and is HYPE.

Hey Don’t Stop ~

I love how this is like an old Western poster - and also how it includes buildings we are more familiar with from Guerrilla and HALAZIA - which connect it to the previous albums. 

According to the subtitles, this says ‘so freaking persistent,’which may or may not be censored. 

To which I assume he means the Wanted posters - but which could be the mark on them. Am I unobservant, or have we not seen this mark before? I doubt ATEEZ made it. Did the Guardians make it?

I also find it interesting that Mingi is kind of the main character of this MV. He’s a great choice for it, especially with the Wild West and intimidating theme of the MV, but I wonder if there is also a storyline reason for it. 

And that’s it! That’s the end of the MV! It pretty nicely continues the story from the previous releases, and shows how the world has progressed in the period between albums. They picked some super clever imagery to express this, which is all in service of the storyline and communicating the story as easily as possible in such a short time frame. I heard that some people think that it’s sad that ATEEZ are so dedicated to their storyline, since it means that they create less ballads - something that lots of people like. But not only am I not a fan of ballads, I love how dedicated they are to the storyline because it’s so unique to be this dedicated, and because the story itself is their identity and a key part of their success. They’ve showed dedication to artistry and storytelling over popularity, and that’s great. Not that prioritising popularity is bad - just that I admire ATEZ’s dedication. 

Conclusions

Woosan is now canon, ATEEZ’s directors, set designers, creative directors and so forth are geniuses, their extras are hilarious, and ATEEZ have amazing performances which I want to see more of. The cowboy theme is amazing here - andI probably love it even more since it reminds me of Face The Sun by SEVENTEEN - another stellar comeback and album. 

[boredtechnologist]

Bally Midway's "Tron" Arcade marquee

Released in 1982 by Bally Midway, "Tron" is an arcade game that was developed alongside the groundbreaking Disney film of the same name. Both the film and the game were instrumental in showcasing the potential of computer graphics in entertainment, making "Tron" a landmark in both cinematic and video game history. The game itself is not just a tie-in but an extension of the film's aesthetic and themes, exploring the concept of living inside a digital world, a notion that was revolutionary at the time.

Technological and Historical Context

The early 1980s marked a period of rapid evolution in video games, with developers exploring new ways to integrate storytelling and advanced graphics into gameplay. "Tron" was released during the golden age of arcade games, a time characterized by intense creativity and technological advancement. The film "Tron" was notable for being one of the first major motion pictures to make extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), and the arcade game sought to bring that visual style to the gaming world.

Gameplay and Design

"Tron" consists of four distinct mini-games, each based on different scenes from the movie. The games include:

Light Cycles: Perhaps the most iconic of the four, this game has players controlling a light cycle that leaves a solid trail behind it. The goal is to trap the other cycles with your trail while avoiding walls and the trails of other cycles.

Grid Bugs: Players must destroy grid bugs and clear a path to the I/O tower within a set time.

Battle Tanks: In this mini-game, players control a tank and navigate a maze-like battlefield, destroying enemy tanks.

MCP Cone: The objective is to break through blocks spinning around the MCP's cone by firing at them, without getting hit by returning fire.

These mini-games are accessed from a central hub, a design choice that not only provided variety but also reflected the segmented nature of the digital world depicted in the film.

Graphical Innovations

"Tron" utilized colorful and detailed raster graphics, which were advanced for the time and provided a visual fidelity that mirrored the high-tech, neon-infused aesthetic of the film. The game was one of the first to use a blacklight in the cabinet, which made its fluorescent colors stand out, enhancing the visual experience and drawing players in arcades.

Control and Interface

The game featured a unique control scheme, including a rotary dial for aiming and a joystick for movement, which were innovative at the time. This setup allowed for precise control, which was necessary for navigating the game's various challenges.

Sound and Narrative Elements

"Tron" featured pioneering sound design, with audio that closely mimicked the electronic score of the film. This integration of sound helped immerse players in the digital world of Tron, enhancing the game's futuristic feel.

Impact and Legacy

"Tron" was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, becoming one of the most memorable arcade games of the 1980s. Its success helped solidify the concept of games as a viable promotional tool for films and demonstrated the potential for cross-media convergence.

Technologically, "Tron" pushed forward the notion that video games could be both visually stunning and complex in design. The game's emphasis on multiple types of gameplay within a single cabinet anticipated later developments in arcade and console gaming, where multi-genre games became more common.

Conclusion

The arcade game "Tron" stands as a significant achievement in the history of video gaming, notable for its technological innovation, distinctive design, and its role in the broader context of 1980s pop culture. By bridging the gap between cinema and video gaming, "Tron" not only captured the imagination of a generation but also pointed the way toward the future of interactive entertainment, where the lines between different media would continue to blur. As a historical artifact and as a piece of entertainment, "Tron" remains a fascinating study in the convergence of technology, art, and commercial entertainment.

[linkspooky]

Hello! Do you take ask about X-men too? I really love your meta on Jean, Carrie and Shigaraki, I was wondering on your thoughts on Rogue and her character arc, can be any version of her since she's my fav

My X-Men knowledge is limited and stops a few arcs after Kitty Pryde joined and Dark Phoenix happened. However, I will do my best to field your ask since you said any version of her.

X-men Evolution Rogue is my favorite version of her, though admittedly it is vastly different from the comics. Comic Rogue is more of a charming southern belle, not a goth type outcast and loner. What X-Men evolution does well in this version is portray Rogue's power as something that makes her life worse in all aspects. There's a post going around that's like "there's a huge difference in your mutant ability being the power to control storms, and a mutant power that can kill someone by touching them."

Rogue's power has destroyed all chances she has of a normal life, but she also does not exactly fit in among the X-men. To begin with it makes her a target for grooming by her adoptive mother mystique. The show even starts her out as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before joining Xavier's academy, something that makes her deeply untrusting of them even after she is brought into the fold.

I used a picture of Rogue and Kitty Pryde because Rogue is used as a shadow archetype to both Kitty and Jean in the show in many ways, Jean is the main female leader team, the popular girl in high school that's too nice for you to ever get jealous of. Jean inhabits the position Rogue desperately wants both by being by Scott's side, but also by having a power that's actually useful and being a trusted member at the center of the group. Rogue pretty clearly wants to be where Jean is, but she also never really takes it out on Jean which is what makes the female characters in this show so interesting they can have complex relationships without resorting to getting catty.

Speaking of catty, Kitty Pryde. Most likable of likable characters. Kitty and Rogue are two sides of the same coin where they are the younger members, and newer recruits. Even in the comics that's Kitty Pryde's whole character conception, they put her on the team to give the perspective of an actual high school student suddenly joining Xavier's academy. Kitty however, unlike Rogue has a power that is mostly harmless and at times incredibly useful. She is also someone who is integrated into the group, whereas Rogue for a long time remains the outsider. There's actually an entire episode dedicated to this with the famous dance scene that still goes around in gifs. Basically Spike is just trying to make a film and asks Rogue to dance, and then when her dancing is still he suggests she touch Kitty for a fraction of a second to absorb and copy her dancing skills.

They are actually pretty similiar even if at times they argue, it's just Rogue's powers have influenecd her life in a way where it's gone in a much different direction until now. X-Men Evolution also does a more serious job at analyzing Rogue's powers, such as the episode where all of the people she's touched and copied remain as fragments in her head and she almost loses herself to it.

Rogue is the shadow archetype in the show, but she is still heroic unlike other shadow archetypes which usually turn into more negative and villainous foils which goes to show the strength of her character. She's moody, detached, traumatized from her mother figure's grooming but also her entire arc is coming to terms with these things. She has not had a normal life, nor is she a normal girl, but she can live with all of it.

Rogue's crush on Scott is a pretty big aspect of the show, and you know not even in the comics but I kind of like it because like I said Scott is like the epitome of what Rogue thinks she desires. It is once again Rogue desiring to be someone she's not, more like Jean, more like Kitty, rather than just accepting herself. Which is why towards the last season when she finally lets go of Scott, and starts to interact with Gambit more it feels like she has moved towards growth and self-acceptance because she's no longer wanting what she can't have and instead is more content with her place in the world and can get along with another outsider like Gambit.

[streets-in-paradise]

may i ask, whats the final family? what would that oneshot, and the golden chains fic, be about?

Hi!!!

OMG thanks for asking :)

Well, to start Final Family is a concept - nickname luna ( @losersclubisms ) and i came up to name the group of Chucky survivors in an AU we are constantly working on. Is not a consistent fic with chapters (yet) but more of a concept we gravitate arround writing ideas in short oneshots or drabbles. To briefly summarize, is an AU where the adults from the movies take the young kids from the show under their wing. The nickname " Final Family" comes from the fact that they are all final people. Since Chucky dedicated decades to destroy countless families and they are all whats left, together they make one final family made of final people.

Most of the time we write comfort fics to give the characters a bit of the warm touch that the canon constantly deprives them of. In this one I was writing Lexy, Glen and Glenda playing with Caroline and accidentally giving Nica reminders of Alice that they later try to comfort her about.

Now about Golden Chains, that is the title of the wip for my 23 chapter (soon to be posted) in a precuel fic to the movie Troy (2004). This fic is x reader, but it also serves as my attempt to imagine many events from the epic cycle that were scrapped from the movie. I integrate characters that were deleted and things that were not presented, but making them fit into the tone of the film while also taking my own creative licenses.

Is, i believe, my most ambitious work so far. Is a reader insert fic, but also a space for experiment with all sorts of " what if this event/character would have been included? How can i imagine the film would have reimagined them? ". The title comes from a piece of dialogue that holds significance for the issue this chapter centers on.

In case you are curious, is this short line of dialogue:

----------------------------------------------

Hector had a more eloquent objection in mind. 

“ Golden chains are still chains, your highness. My people will not submit to Agamemnon, not by the blade but neither by the charm of a princess "

----------------------------------------------

Reproducing it out of context will not make much sense, so i will explain the metaphor.

The movie Troy makes a reinterpretation of the war that speaks less about mediterranean bronze age than of our modern world. The greeks are a metaphor for USA militar interventionism and my fic digs deep into that. In the film Odysseus is presented as a king from a satelite-like poor kingdom that follows the mycenaeans because they have no chance resisting their power.

In this metaphor the film already has where Agamemnon = USA, i'm imagining Ithaca in the position of a third world country and Odysseus as a smart leader that pretends to follow the colonialist commands, but actually serves his best interests. For so, since my fic is a precuel, Odysseus is trying to be a political bridge between the both big powers of the time ( mycenae and troy) and take his good advantage on both.

" Golden Chains " is a metaphor for this apparently convenient sounding colonialism, but also for latent fears for the possibilities of a future arranged marriage that are being awakened in the heirs of the trojan and mycenaean crowns.

Sorry it took me this long to reply, i'm gonna try to cut the ramble here lol